Busy with Busyness (AKA the world's second-longest blog)

Have you ever heard that song (they used it for telephone directories when I was a kid, but it had been around forever before that) "I've Been Everywhere?" Click on the link to get the Australian version of the song, as it was originally written. It's been recorded by a TON of people, most notably Johnny Cash. Anyway it could totally explain my life the last couple weeks.

When last I left you...

I was headed for the State Track Meet in Des Moines. Little sister ran spectacularly well, garnering a couple of personal records, and ended up 5th in the Distance Medley for 3A schools, and 9th in the 4x400 relay. She had a great, great day, and I am soooo proud of her.

Also, LS had just gotten (some) of her senior pictures taken. Here's a few of the results:

This last one is my favorite. It looks fierce in black and white. She had the pictures taken because she wanted a couple with her long hair. That's right, little sister followed big sister's lead and recently donated 12+ inches of hair to Lock of Love. Proud of her for that one too. The rest of the pics are scheduled for sometime in September, and I'll put up a couple of those too, when I get an opportunity.

Another awesome part of hanging in Des Moines for the STM was the opportunity to meet up with one particularly funny friend, of whom I see far too little. Mrs. Wipperburger, I'm talking to you! We hooked up for dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill (I'd never been there before - it was her choice. My comment about the whole thing: "How does one grill macaroni? Does it stick?). :) As luck would have it, I reached the predetermined meeting place before my friend, was escorted to a table, and proceeded to tell our waitress (a very lovely young lady named Shana) that we would be celebrating Mrs. Wipperburger's birthday. Unbeknownst to Mrs. Wipperburger, that is. You see, the actual date of Mrs. Wipperburger's birthday is in November, but as I was unable to attend the birthday celebrations the last couple years, I decided to make up for my appalling behavior by substituting it for MORE appalling behavior. So the evening progresses, MW shows up, food is ordered and appreciated, vino is imbibed, stories are told, laughs are had, and all of the sudden Shana the waitress shows up with the biggest piece of chocolate cake I've ever seen in my life. I wish to GOD I would have had a camera with me so I could have posted for the world to see the look on MW's face. It was priceless, along with the ensuing bright red flush that rose up her neck, past her cheeks, and straight to the tops of her ears. LMAO. MW was completely mortified, but to her credit, she played along absolutely wonderfully.

Back in WI, I started the new job last Monday. I met up with my new boss (who used to be my old boss - that's a story that gets a little complicated) on Sunday night and she got me some materials to give me plenty to do Monday and Tuesday, while she was out of state working with a client. I've been reviewing keynote speakers' promotional materials and creating a database for CHR to work from (for future association conferences, which CHR helps organize), reviewing competitive marketing materials and drafting a marketing strategy for a small phone company in the Phoenix, AZ area, and writing a policy manual for the same company. Plus, getting all the little things associated with working from home figured out - new printer, phone line, paperwork, etc. Wednesday morning I leave for Las Vegas, to help staff the annual meeting of an organization CHR manages. I'll be out there until Friday, and then it's back to WI. I'll try and blog from there - that is, if my laptop is here by then. Otherwise, y'all'll have to wait.

Friday the Boss let me off early. I was a little worried when she said, "Don't worry about being a few hours short this week...I'll get them out of you at the conference next week..." and then she gave me this horror-movie mwah-ha-ha kind of laugh. Ummm, yeah.

So what did I do with my Friday afternoon? Instead of getting my own stuff done at home (it's nearly midnight on Monday night now, and I'm still not exactly sure what I'm wearing to LV) I volunteered a little of my time, blood, sweat, and muscular fortitude and, as the Step-Monster puts it, "gave a haircut to a bunch of dead people." Or, in vernacular for regular folks, I mowed our local country cemetery.

A couple of words about the cemetery. The Sunset Cemetery is located on land that my great-grandfather owned, and subsequently passed down to my grandfather and father. So, in essence, my family owns a cemetery. Iiiif you want to call it that. My grandmother is the secretary for the cemetery foundation, and is therefore in charge of getting young people lined up to mow the grass and trim around the headstones. Because, bloggers, these things don't just happen on their own. Usually the Step-Monster, Dad and the Little Bothers do the mowing when the grass starts getting longish and the dandelions get out of control. But with the Memorial Day weekend, things get pushed up a little. I knew that there was a lot to do, so I went down, picked up the weed whip and the push mower from grandma, pistol whipped the elder Bother until he finally agreed to do the riding, and headed down to trim things up a bit.

Mowing a cemetery is a tedious process. First of all, mowing is NOT one of my favorite things to do. Secondly, you have to think of it not as a lawn, but more like a turf management obstacle course. The site is a couple acres, about 200 headstones, plus a bunch of trees and shrubs, and things can get a little hairy with the mowing. You really don't want to run over or hit someone's headstone with a mower - there's just something BAD about that - and some of the headstones are almost 200 years old and are getting brittle. Thus, proper care must be taken. So you push mow around the headstones (think 200+ little tiny squares, turning left constantly, and concerted, diligent attempts to miss the flowers, solar lights, and all the other crap people leave by gravestones). But, on the flip side, it does give you the nice glowing feeling of accomplishment when you get done, especially considering it's one of the only things you can still do to show your appreciation and respect for those interred there.

Memorial Day in small towns like mine means that the local American Legion Post (composed of gentlemen whom, despite their collective honor of and respect for country, should probably NOT be shooting guns - blanks or not - and walking without supportive devices across the bumpy ground of a country cemetery) comes out and does an honor guard salute at all of the little cemeteries in the area that house the remains of veterans. Usually a couple of kids from the local high school band blow "Taps" at the end, and the inevitable parade of blue-haired ladies from the Auxiliary follow the guard to the next cemetery, where the whole process is repeated again. Well, many, many moons ago, yours truly participated in a Memorial Day "concert tour" of sorts. I was asked by the local Lutheran pastor to accompany the parade to four different cemeteries, singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at each one, while the honor guard and "Taps" blowers did their things. I accepted, and found myself at Akers, West Akers (creating naming, huh? Typical Norwegians for ya...) Sunset, and Evergreen Cemeteries. Well, my grandparents (grandpa was alive back then) have never been so proud, and when I stopped by my grandma's house this morning, her request was that I repeat the performance today. So, I complied. Mostly because I know that this Memorial Day was a hard one for her, but also because it was a rather difficult one for our whole family, considering the losses of my grandfather and great-uncle over the course of the last year.

Which brings me to the last thing for today's post. Here is a link to the Wiki for "The Star-Spangled Banner." How many of you knew there were four verses? Take the time to read the Wiki, and consider the verses. And since I've given you that homework assignment, take another moment to read - out loud is the best - this poem about WWI, from which the American Legion and other veteran's organizations take the inspiration for the small paper poppies they use to raise money and awareness for veterans' causes:

In Flanders Fields - John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

I know I've blogged about this before, but take the time to be thankful for the privileges we enjoy in this country, and the men and women who have sacrificed so much so that we can live the lives we do, in the manner we do. Because, as Madame Chiang Kai-Shek said, "We live in the present, we dream of the future, and we learn eternal truths from the past."

Holy Cow (AKA World's Longest Post)

I say that because it's been FOREVER since I've posted. But after you read this, you may begin to understand why. To put it lightly, life's been a little busy. Here's the run down:

Weekend of April 21st (yes, it's been that long...)

My grandma Wilma, recipient of the Waverly Municipal Hospital's Volunteer of the Year Award, came to WI to visit me. She and I took B bowling, along with the little Bothers, Dad and the Step-Monster. We had a blast, and Grandma kicked our collective butts. Won $10 from the elder Bother, which is a big deal, because he's notoriously tight. So I got to rub his nose in the fact that not only did I beat him bowling, but I took his money. It was glorious.

Saturday night was the main reason for Grandma's big trip to the Northwoods. She and I made the trip to Medina, MN to see The Del McCoury Band live in concert. Never heard of the DMB? Well you should have! Shame on you! They are the best bluegrass band in the US, and as I told one friend, "If it were possible for a bluegrass band to rock my face off, they would have definitely done it!" If you have MusicMatch, they have songs on the Bluegrass channel, and their stuff is total worth hearing. They are virtuosos. Plain and simple.

The next weekend (after the week whipped through) was April 28th. I found myself in Ladysmith, WI doing a live radio broadcast with regional radio personality (and, to the little Bothers, wisest man on earth) Jay Moore, host of Jay Moore in the Morning on Moose Country 106.7 FM. Trust me, it was a big deal. I even had Jay, who was a really nice guy, sign a couple of Moose bumper stickers for me, which I in turn gave to the Bothers. They were speechless, and the talk is these priceless artifacts are headed for frames hung on their respective walls. Again, you have know idea how big of a deal this is... :)

After spending my morning with Jay, the Step-Monster and I headed for the Green Bay area to help out my cousin Mandabelle (names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved), who, along with her husband, Physicsman, is hurtling along the path to parenthood. Bundle Of Joy is expected within the next month, so Mandabelle asked Step-Monster and I to come paint the nursery area, since we had already proved our painterly skills on the Bothers' house. Here are the results (not bad if I say so myself!):

View of the doorway before paint

The stairway before paint

The window before paint

AND NOW:


The door, after paint. The theme is Noah's Ark, so the walls are two-tone blue, with little wind-whipped waves halfway up the wall, forming a sort of a border. Mandabelle had a wall hanging and curtains already picked out, and we pulled these colors right from that.

The hallway, after paint (it's hard to tell, but it's a carmelly brown color - VERY nice)

The window after, with the inspirational curtain.

All in all, it was super fun, and Physicsman, and his brother-in-law Engineerman are spectacular cooks. Thanks for the hospitality, y'all!

After the quick trip to Mandabelle's was the beginning of an eventful week for me. After three + years of working at said regional telecommunications company, I gave my notice on May 3rd. I have taken a job at CHR Solutions, working in their telcom consulting arm with their market strategy and organizational management personnel. It was a big step for me, but a very exciting one. The new job offers lots of flexibility with scheduling, the opportunity to travel more, and unprecedented relationship building opportunities with some of the best and brightest telecommunications companies in the country. But more on that to come...

The night of May 3rd, I participated in a bowling challenge with a few colleagues, in support of our local Kinship chapter. And here's the kicker - not only did we beat our opposing team, but we WON THE TOURNAMENT!! Check out the pic below (NOT my most flattering, but I'm posting it anyway...)

The best part about this win (aside from scoring some awesome pledges for the kiddies) was that NONE of us are good bowlers. The bowling gods were smiling down on us, however, and we rocked with a combined total score of 3047. Say it with me, everybody, "Kick***."

That next weekend, May 5th, was spent with the Step-Monster again (if I didn't like her so much, I'd be REALLY sick of her by now...). Except now the focus of our attention was my house. Because of the new job, I have the ability to work part of the time from home. Which is great, except for the fact that my home previously lacked an office area. But with a lot of organization, a little elbow grease, and a couple gallons of paint, the Step-Monster and I started whipping the basement into shape as a makeshift office.

The storage room under the stairs. Notice all the bins labelled and nicely stacked in the back, plus the new Sterilite shelving unit awaiting its load. Organization is bliss!

A before shot of what will be my office area. You'll have to stay tuned for the "after" shots, since I'm still in process.

This is the are right where my worktable and desk area will be (actually, that IS my worktable under all the stuff...). Notice the dingy, grimy walls; nasty metal track shelving and general disarray. This is what my basement used to look like.

A little explanation about the basement is warranted at this point, I believe. The house we live in used to belong to B's grandparents. They were lovely people, but the maintenance on the house had gotten way beyond their capabilities (due to age), and when we moved in, there was a lot of remodeling to be done. The house didn't even have a shower. So we concentrated a lot of our efforts on the upstairs living areas, and kind of let the basement slip. It became a place to stack wood (for the wood-burning stove) and do laundry, and that was about it. We also don't have a garage, so the basement stores all of our bikes, skis, snowshoes, boots, golf clubs and other miscellaneous sporting equipment, which tends to take up quite a bit of room in an already small area. So when this job opportunity came along, the first thing was to shape up the downstairs into something livable.

That pretty much ate up the weekend before last, and last week was spent frantically trying to tie up loose ends at work before I left, which is no small task. Last weekend I was again on the road (poor car - 3000 miles in less than a month), this time heading to my sister's District track meet in Decorah, Iowa. She is a middle distance runner, and she had a great meet. A couple of personal bests helped propel her to the State meet in two events. I'll be heading to Des Moines tomorrow to see her run at the Drake track.

However, the track meet was not the only highlight of the weekend. Little sister also is a junior, which means senior pictures are on the to-do list. So we did part of her sitting on Saturday. I have a couple pictures, which I'll post once I get them ready. She did great, and her pictures really show it!

Yesterday brought my last day at the old job. It was, and still is, very hard to leave the people there. Everyone was wonderful - there was not a single person I didn't get along with. They are truly a great group of people, who are committed to their products and services and dedicated to their customers, and it was great to be a part of that positive environment. Changing jobs has really been a unique decision for me, since the jobs are so similar in focus, but so completely different in functionality. I find that it reminds me of college - something you're a little anxious to leave, but with a future lying ahead of you that begs to be discovered. You'll probably miss the old, but you'll constantly be challenged by the new, and I truly believe that is what I'll find in this situation.

Tomorrow, as I said, I'll be heading to the State Track meet in Des Moines. I'm going to try and hook up with some friends down there at least one night, so I'll have plenty to post about this weekend. Again, my apologies for not posting sooner, but I think it was worth the wait! If you've made it this far through the post, you are to be congratulated, and you'll be happy to know that this is the end. :)

Today's thought

(Courtesy of Pink Floyd)

Did you exchange...
a walk-on part in the war
for a lead role in a cage?

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Soooo many things to talk about. It's been a really long time (like a week and a half-ish)! First things first:

CONGRATULATIONS TO MY GRANDMA, WILMA, ON BEING VOTED VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AT THE WAVERLY MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL!!!

I am so proud of her!! When she told me tonight, she was so excited. She really likes helping out at the hospital - she works in the gift shop, runs flyers all over town, and just generally is available every time their volunteer coordinator calls her. One thing that she said that struck me as so true: "It makes me feel so good." I love to volunteer, fundraise, whatever, because it reminds me that there are so many worthy causes, so many less fortunate people, and so much that each of us can do about the ills of the world. American Cancer Society, Humane Society, local mentoring programs - whatever it is, I'm in. Give a little bit of your time, but get a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, ownership, and community.

Okay, enough on that rampage. I'm going to talk about something that has been on my mind the last week or so as I've been neglecting the blog. I've really focused on those things that people, specifically me, tend to put off or whine about doing, but once they're done turn out to not be that bad. For instance:

Duh, the blog - being able to find time lately has been a killer. With things on the farm starting to pick up (B just outlined for me Tuesday night how by next fall we should have 175 head of cattle on the place - yikes!) and work being crazybusy, I get in the house at night and I'm just whipped. But tonight, I felt like I had so much to share and so many thoughts to document, that I just had to get them down. So here we are.

The gym - making myself go regularly can be difficult. I'll think, "Gee, I was really tired today. Maybe I'll just go home, get some laundry done, and call it a night." But once I lay the self-directing smack down on myself, go to the gym, work out for an hour, and THEN go home, I find I have more energy, sleep better, and get more accomplished at home. [Added benefit - less jiggly butt :)] Part of the reason for this, I think, is my procrastination reflex paired with my constant urge to cross things off my mental list. So if I go to the gym, it leaves me less time for the things I need to do at home, which means I have to work that much more diligently to shorten my list. Ah, the fine art of tricking oneself.

Catching up with friends - one of the reasons I didn't write sooner this week was a previously scheduled engagement with four lovely ladies and some margaritas on Wednesday night. I and some of my friends from my customer service department days get together one Wednesday a month to have a girls' night at the local Adventures restaurant. Why Wednesdays? Well, customer service and business unit departments both have their monthly meetings every third Wednesday. PLUS Wednesdays at Adventures happen to be Mexican night with $3 jumbo margaritas. So it's a match made in heaven. :) Catching up with friends can be difficult, especially with so many schedules involved, but it's always worth it. We laughingly call it therapy, but in reality, it's a great chance to hang out with people from work without having to pretend you're working!

Cleaning the house - Ugh. Need I say more? Spring means spring cleaning, and with a farm, it just gets all the more intense. Dusting, cleaning closets, mopping floors, organizing the basement (I should get an award for that...) steaming carpets and upholstery, touching up paint on walls - the list is nearly endless. However, I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere. Plus, I love it once it's all done...if it's all done!

Checking account reconciliation - I wish I could say that I'm one of those on-top-of-it people who reconcile their statements each month when they come in the mail, but who are we kidding?! Other aspects of savings/money management/personal finance I'm awesome at, but checking and double checking is a chore I put off until the piles of statements jar me to my senses. Hmmm...personal finance and retirement. Totally a topic for another time - once I start I have a hard time stopping.

Clothes shopping - Shopping is difficult for me because in Barron Co WI there are not a lot of options for even remotely fashionable attire, be it work or casual. Usually that type of endeavor requires a trip to Eau Claire or Minneapolis/St. Paul, but we do have one Herberger's in Rice Lake that occasional surprises. This week was one of those weeks. However, for each fruitful trip, there are 4-6 terrible ones. It's the terrible ones in between that totally turn me off.

There's my list. None of the topics are really that earth-shatteringly difficult. But for various reasons they just seem hard to get done. As I get older, however, I find myself attacking even these things with a more vehement attitude. I just want to CROSS THINGS OFF THE LIST!! (Sometimes I picture myself in some airplane movie -"Landing gear?" "Check!" "Carpet steamer?" "Check!") Maybe it's because my job keeps me so busy. Or perhaps it's because I spend a portion of my evenings without the company of my husband, so time with him I'd like to have free to spend with him. Most likely a combination of a lot of things. But regardless, tonight's blog is the culmination of a seriously long but satisfactorily completed list.

Sometimes the best thing about holidays...

...is when they're over. Hope you all survived Easter.

Thoughts for a blustery spring day...

Now that all the snow is melted, the sun is beginning to shine, and the grass is greening up, it's time for one of my least favorite times of spring - "Trash in the Ditch" time. There is a reason April is the home month of Earth Day (the 22nd for those of you not up on such things) - spring reminds us of new beginnings, but it also serves serves up a visual of all the things we've done in the past to pollute/tarnish/completely mess up our environment. So, on that thought, here is my new goal, and a challenge for each of you.

PICK SOMETHING UP.

Sounds really simple, but just like so many other things, if each person did just a little bit, think of the huge progress that could be made! Whether it's a road on your way home, a stretch of Adopt A Highway roadway sponsored by your employer or civic club, or even the sidewalk in front of your house, try to pick up one thing a day and either dispose of it properly, or better yet, RECYCLE IT. And since I'm big on processes, here's my exquisite representation of the various waterfall effects possible as a result this seemingly insignificant action, with an aluminum can as an example:

AND for all you overachievers out there, check out the government's Earth Day website for more tips at home, at work, and everywhere else. Remember: Earth Day, Every Day!

Listen, & say thank you

You'll have to pardon the stream of consciousness entry, but this news story touched a chord with me tonight. Having lost my grandfather and great-uncle within the last year, I suppose I am particularly sensitive to the passages of time and their effect on the complacent, status quo nature of so many of our lives. My hangup is this: Do you KNOW your forebearers? I'm not talking about the relatives who came over the ship 150+ years ago. I'm talking about your grandparents, if you are lucky enough to still have them, or your parents, or aunts and uncles. These people you think have led such ordinary lives are the sources of some of the funniest/scariest/most patriotic/sadist/most inspiring stories you've NEVER HEARD. And, like so many of us, they LOVE to tell them, to reminisce about days gone by, things they've done, lives they've lived. So take the time to listen. It means the world to the storyteller, and you'll find it means something to you as the listener - it gives you a new perspective on your life, the path they've taken, appreciation of the small triumphs of the human spirit, and the best opportunity to thank those to whom you owe it all. It is an easy thing to say "Thank You," but too often it is the most easily forgotten. So do it today - it's worth is immeasurable, and you never know when is the last time you'll be able to say it.